It was never a question of if, but when, because that’s how an epidemic works. How long did we expect to remain immune from mass shootings? We hoped and prayed it wouldn’t touch us, but, try as we might to tamp it down, it was always lurking.

Now, Maine has become a member in a club to which nobody wants to belong. And how do we honor those who died and those whose lives will be forever changed? By buying more guns (“Gun stores in Maine see brisk business in wake of Lewiston shootings,” Oct. 27).

What does it say about a country that has more guns than people?

Jim Pizzo
Portland